As foretold in science fiction classic The Space Merchants.

http://www.fantasticalandrewfox.com/2012/02/21/pohl-kornbluth-part-2-the-space-merchants/

And totally reminded me of the food-sequence-lesson scene in the James McLure play "Lone Star":  Baby Ruth, popcorn, beer - sweet, salty, sour.

But you see the one of the problems in changing the formula when you read this excerpt from Salt Sugar Fat: 

On visiting Kellogg

"They made for me special versions of some of their most iconic products ... without any salt in it to show me why they were having trouble cutting back. And, I have to say, it was a god-awful experience. ... starting with Cheez-Its, which normally I could eat all day long. The Cheez-Its without salt stuck to the roof of my mouth and I could barely swallow. Then we moved onto frozen waffles, which tasted like straw. The real moment came in tasting a cereal — I think it was Corn Flakes — which tasted hugely, awfully metallic. It was almost like a filling had come out of my mouth and it was sloshing around."

I need to read this book. It's a book, right?

A week ago the New York Times magazine ran an incredibly thorough cover story on the science of making junk food addictive:

http://pandawhale.com/post/17296/the-extraordinary-science-of-addictive-junk-food-nytimescom

Using chemistry cleverly to trick the brain, scientists create compounds that turn "food" from inedible to crave-able, as your story above illustrates.

Space Merchants is a book, a classic.  (The <u> </u> - it did not work.  What do I need to do differently?)

Use <em> or <I> -- we reserve underlining for links. 

How much sugar there is in everyday beverages:

Ugh, chocolate milk.

The thing is, non sugar sweeteners are just as addictive to the brain.

Artificial sweeteners also give the brain cravings:

http://pandawhale.com/post/50220/artificial-sweeteners-may-activate-a-craving-without-satisfying-it-leading-to-potential-increased-caloric-consumption-later

On hooking teens on brand loyalty

"The clientele were kids — teenagers — who were going out on their own for the first time with a little bit of change into an environment where they could make the decision about what to buy and, for $1 or $2, they could go in there and choose a soda or a snack and decide between brands. And this was critical to Coke, as it is to other companies, because those decisions early on, especially in the teen years, will develop brand loyalties. So a child that chooses Pepsi at age 13 or 14 is likely to maintain that brand loyalty through the rest of their life."

I'm still pretty heavily influenced by my peers. :)

NYT ran an incredibly thorough cover story on the science of making junk food addictive:

http://pandawhale.com/post/17296/the-extraordinary-science-of-addictive-junk-food-nytimescom